Leading wet processing company CDE recently showcased years of international expertise to Nigerian and other West African mine and quarry operators at the ConMin West Africa trade show in Abuja from 13 to 15 June. The global company will introduce the significant benefits of materials washing technology to the sand and aggregates industry, demonstrating how businesses can expand by increasing both their range of products and production levels, as well as make profits and a quick return on investment.

South Africa may still be ahead of the infrastructural drive on the African continent, with a robust and consistent development of its sand and aggregates market, but Nigeria is snapping at its heels. With a population of 190 million people and correlated expanding infrastructure needs, Nigeria is resetting its economic focus to address any barriers to its economic growth, and in order to encourage private and domestic investments.

For sand and aggregates producers, the Nigerian construction sector, expected to be the fastest of all global markets by 2018 according to the Global Construction 2020 report (Global Perspectives), has become a promising market well worthy of investment. But as the industry grows, now is the right time to look at new ways of producing sand and aggregates of higher quality and in larger volumes, whilst saving water, energy and money.

CDE boasts the successful completion of over 1 000 sand and aggregates wet processing projects globally, including the largest sand washing plant in the world in Qatar which processes 1 200 t per hour of dune sand. The company brings to the table an enviable portfolio of successful projects across Africa where it has been helping sand and aggregates producers to maximise their operations, achieve a quick return on investment and save water since 2002.

Nicolan Govender, Regional Manager Africa at CDE, has been addressing the questions African operators still have about the viability of investing in materials washing technology as opposed to dry classification systems. He says: “Whilst washing basically comes as a result of crushing and screening, it is a specialised and niche market. Wet processing is much more specific than crushing and screening because it entails getting from mm to micron sizes.

“CDE is fast growing its footprint in Africa as sand and aggregates producers are upgrading their installations to enjoy the benefits of wet processing technology in terms of more efficient production and higher product quality. CDE’s best sellers on the market include a wet processing plant – the EvoWash – and the AquaCycle thickener, which recycles up to 90% waste water.

“With the respective successes met by the EvoWash and the AquaCycle, more operators are now choosing the CDE Combo, which comprises both plants. The Combo, with a capacity range of 30 to 200 t, boasts a unique modular design to combine feeding, grading, washing, water recycling and stockpiling onto one compact chassis. The Combo is so efficient that the final product is ready to be sold directly from the belt. I am delighted to report that Combo customers have never looked back.”

One such Combo owner is Dar es Salaam-based Estim Construction, one of the largest civil and building companies in East Africa, with sister companies in Zambia and Mozambique. The firm installed a CDE Combo x70 in 2014, which produces 40 t per hour of quality washed sand whilst recycling up to 90% waste water. As all CDE equipment is designed in collaboration with the customer, and manufactured and tested in its assembly facilities in Northern Ireland for guaranteed reliability, bespoke additions were applied to the plant to meet Estim’s circumstances and requirements.

Estim Construction’s director, Darpan Pindolia, commented: “We could not be happier with the choice we made. Working with CDE Global, and especially their business manager and engineers, has been a crucial factor in achieving the best final product.

“Thanks to our CDE Combo X70 we can now complete orders for various grades of concrete required for rafts, columns and slabs to produce paving blocks and other items in the knowledge that we will always meet our clients’ deadlines and produce consistent quality and output throughout the washing process.”

Govender concludes: “Nigeria is a natural bed of various mineral resources which can be exploited in a highly profitable and environmentally-friendly manner. The CDE cyclone technology and turnkey, high tech and user-friendly wet processing solutions are perfectly adapted to suit the requirements for larger volumes of high quality sand and aggregates of consistent gradings in the context of a dynamic Nigerian infrastructural drive.

“If you buy the right plant for your operations, reduced maintenance, reduced manpower, reduced slimes management and continuous operation with water control far outweigh any short term savings.

“We are looking forward to growing market awareness of the CDE equipment and existing footprint in Africa at the June ConMin show in Abuja. ConMin is an ideal platform to interact with existing businesses that currently run sand and aggregates washing plants. We will also meet potential customers who want to go into wet processing as a way to of expanding their current crushing and screening operations.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to showcase the benefits of our products, organise site visits, audit customers’ operations, and offer more efficient solutions for them to optimise their businesses.”

CDE is the leading provider of washing equipment for quarries, mines and recycling operations on the global market. The CDE equipment range has applications across a wide range of materials and is delivering significant efficiencies in the construction and recycling, mining, specialist industrial sands and environmental sectors.

Working across five sectors and eight regions, CDE has been co-creating with customers for over 20 years to deliver collaborative, imaginative and unique processing systems.

The CDE Global Design Headquarters are located in Northern Ireland and the company also has bases in Kolkata, India to serve the Asian market, Sao Paulo, Brazil to serve the Latin American market, Ormeau, Australia, to serve the Australasian market and North Carolina, USA, to serve the North American market.